(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to surgery, and more particularly to a method of inserting an intramedullary coupled pin into a fractured bone.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Immediately following a complete fracture of a tubular bone, certain physiological things occur to begin the healing process. Blood from traumatized tissue surrounding the break forms a massive clot, which later initiates the calcification process. The musculature bridging of the break loses its ability to serve the limb since there is no longer a rigid structure for insertion. Therefore, the limb loses mobility and cannot bear weight. Since muscles can only contract, the two ends of the fracture site usually overlap each other. A bone left to heal without resetting and stabilization will usually take a very long time and mend with undesirable length, straightness and strength.
The problems associated with stabilization of a tubular bone fracture are many. The surgeon must choose a method which will result in a rapidly healed bone as similar to the original as possible. The surgeon must also be aware of the joints and growth areas above and below the fracture. The surgeon should also consider a method easy to install that will yield maximum stabilization with the least possible trauma and aftercare to the patient.
The following U.S. Patents were cited by the Examiner in the prosecution of the parent application:
______________________________________ Inventor Date Filed Issue Date U.S. Pat. No. ______________________________________ Miner Et Al Nov 13, 1929 Oct 9, 1934 1,976,264 Jonas Et Al Dec 30, 1952 Mar 23, 1954 2,672,861 Deliso Jul 20, 1956 Dec 2, 1958 2,862,745 Deliso Jul 20, 1956 Jan 20, 1959 2,869,907 Jonas Et Al Mar 19, 1959 May 23, 1961 2,985,168 Hollaender Sep 29, 1958 Sep 19, 1961 3,000,656 Petri Mar 10, 1971 Dec 26, 1972 3,707,303 Maffei Et Al May 19, 1976 Apr 12, 1977 4,016,874 Maffei Et Al Feb 8, 1982 Aug 28, 1984 4,467,794 ______________________________________
As may be seen, the prior workers in the treatment of a complete fracture of a tubular bone, have recognized that an intramedullary pin has certain desirable qualities. The two JONAS patents utilize a spring bias pin in which different metals for the spring and the pin often lead to complications and undesirable results in commercial practice.
The two MAFFEI ET AL patents concern pins which are anchored to the inside of the tubular bone with tapper threaded pins and then are jointed together.
The other five patents appear to be completely unrelated; however, Applicant believes a reasonable Examiner would consider any art cited by another Examiner to be of interest and pertinent to the examination of this application.